Chapter 128: Brothers

Jiang Feng looked like a trapped beast at the end of its rope.

The surrounding earthy mist still carried the force of a thousand jun, circulating incessantly like an inescapable giant python. Jiang Feng's body was involuntarily sent drifting along with the unpredictable flow of the mist!

Duan Xingyun paused, lifting his blood-stained face to glance at Jiang Feng, who had closed the distance between them just a bit more. He then resumed his arduous march toward Jiang Feng. With eyes resembling the starry night sky and steps of unyielding determination, treading upon an eerie starlight radiance, he inched toward Jiang Feng bit by bit.

He felt not an ounce of hesitation. In truth, his every movement now was entirely instinctive.

At this moment, Duan Xingyun cut the figure of a God of War!

Liu Xiayuan's complexion was as pale as paper.

He had never imagined that these two men would hold out until now, stubbornly persisting like resilient cockroaches impossible to crush. The moment he first unleashed the power of the Nine-Turn Earth-Rock Sword, he had expected it to impose immense pressure on them both. Yet to his absolute horror, relying solely on their own strength, the two of them had resisted it entirely. Even when he employed his underworld art, the Earth-Rock Grand Might, it remained utterly useless.

Meanwhile, a full third of his underworld power had gradually been depleted. While relishing the supreme thrill brought by the Earth-Rock Grand Might, he had neglected the rate at which his underworld power was being consumed. Now, he found himself riding a tiger and unable to dismount; seeing his consumed underworld power rapidly approaching the halfway mark, the two men before him were still bitterly hanging on.

Those two bastards truly lived up to their reputation as the figures who had worn down the Master of Wuming Island to death. Their endurance was terrifying to this degree.

Initially, he had merely thought Jiang Feng possessed some tricks up his sleeve, never expecting that the fellow driving the White Emperor Glazed Tripod would prove even more terrifying. That bizarre display of starlight not only managed to keep his Earth-Rock Grand Might at bay beyond his skin, but also enabled him to slowly drag his body forward within an environment as heavy as a crushing mountain.

Across this entire Barren Wood Ridge, aside from his master who was currently traveling afar, not a single person could achieve this. Even Silver Shark, whose mastery of earth-element underworld arts was nothing short of exquisite, could not possibly pull it off!

What manner of monsters were these two? An inexplicable panic began to stir within his heart.

The sect leader of the Worshipping Moon Sword Sect, the Moon-Worshipping Ancestor, had gone out on a journey a month ago. In other words, this Barren Wood Ridge had now become his territory. Regardless of the nature of the intrusion, as the senior grand disciple, he had to bear the brunt of it!

If he were to lose the Barren Wood Ridge to outsiders before the Moon-Worshipping Ancestor returned, then even if he managed to survive, a death sentence awaited him all the same.

He must not assume that being a true-inheritance disciple granted him immunity to violating the ancestor's supreme might; before the ancestor, favoritism held no meaning whatsoever.

He forced himself to calm down, knowing full well that apart from persevering, there was no other way out. Jiang Feng currently possessed virtually no combat capability, but that Duan Xingyun, despite his bloodied visage, had not suffered any truly crippling wounds. The moment he recalled the Nine-Turn Earth-Rock Sword, given the capabilities of himself and his junior brothers and sisters, they would likely be unable to fend off this eerie Duan Xingyun.

That starlight was intensely bizarre, yet Liu Xiayuan guessed that Duan Xingyun's consumption must be equally astronomical.

The two sides had now reached a deadlock, a contest of who could outlast the other.

The hollowed-out sensation in his underworld power pool made Liu Xiayuan feel a weakness he had never experienced before. His face was as pale as parchment, but knowing this was the moment of life or death, a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes. He produced a medicinal pill from his pouch and crammed it into his mouth without a moment's hesitation.

A surging torrent of underworld power suddenly erupted within his body, and a flush of crimson abruptly stained his paper-white face.

"Dragon-Soaring Pill!"

Though Jiang Feng could not speak, he roared these words loudly within his heart. He had witnessed this pill during the Nine-Rocks Grand Tournament. Back then, Fang Ping, the adopted son of the Fang family, had swallowed this very pill in the midst of exhaustion during their battle, sacrificing his own cultivation potential to acquire a vast surge of underworld power.

It was an extremely self-destructive pill, yet it could grant the user a boundless stream of underworld power in a remarkably short span of time.

The scenes of the Nine-Rocks Grand Tournament were still vivid in his mind. Back then, he had used the Shift of the Stars technique from the Infinite Devouring art to subdue Fang Ping. But the current situation was vastly different from that occasion, and he clearly could not employ the same trick twice.

Silver Shark's expression also shifted drastically. He had never expected that dealing with these enemies from the Langya Chamber of Commerce in Lingbo Town would drive his senior brother to resort to a cultivation-destroying pill like the Dragon-Soaring Pill. It was then he realized that his senior brother was fighting for his life!

He involuntarily held his breath. What he had originally anticipated to be a foolproof situation had unexpectedly evolved into a desperate struggle for survival, yet he knew the outcome of this desperate fight would undoubtedly decide whether they lived or died.

"All junior brothers and junior sisters, channel all your underworld power into Senior Brother!"

Without a second thought, Silver Shark shouted at the top of his lungs. Normally, he held Senior Brother Liu Xiayuan as his ultimate role model. Seeing his senior brother sacrifice his cultivation foundation for the honor of the sect filled his heart with an overwhelming surge of adoration. Without a moment's hesitation, the order spilled from his lips; he intended to have everyone share the burden and fight to the death alongside his senior brother!

Some of the junior disciples looked slightly bewildered, but upon seeing his resolute expression, they cast aside their hesitation and roared in unison, "Right, if we fight, we fight together!"

"Kill those beasts!"

Joy welled up in Liu Xiayuan's heart. He hastily manipulated the underworld art incantation, and with a flash of light, his figure materialized directly in front of Silver Shark. Having little energy left to speak and wasting no breath, he directly exposed his broad back, presenting it to Silver Shark.

Silver Shark's hands already rested gently upon Liu Xiayuan's back.

Following suit, the remaining underworld practitioners of the Worshipping Moon Sword Sect all placed their hands upon the back of the person in front of them. In the blink of an eye, the entire group formed a remarkably magnificent formation.

In truth, this was no formal array, but rather the mandatory physical posture required to channel everyone's underworld power into a single body.

They all shared the same master, and the nature of their underworld power was identical.

Underworld power poured continuously through their palms and into Liu Xiayuan's body. Feeling a surge of underworld power unlike anything he had ever experienced before rushing through his veins, Liu Xiayuan's confidence skyrocketed. The radiance of the Nine-Turn Earth-Rock Sword suspended in mid-air swelled exponentially!

Jiang Feng was like a wild beast driven to the absolute brink, instinctively wailing and roaring in fury. He could no longer hear the sounds of the outside world. Wisps of black Qi had begun to surge across the surface of his body—a discoloration born from the chaotic, violent collisions of the power rampaging within him. Not only that, but his flesh also began to tremble slightly. Yet, the brown earthy mist remained as merciless and stern as ever, completely ignoring these hair-thin wisps of black Qi, showing not a single tremor in the face of a force capable of pulverizing everything.

They snaked and crawled across Jiang Feng's undulating skin as if no one else were around, but moments later, they plunged collectively into Jiang Feng's body and vanished without a trace.

Just moments ago, Jiang Feng's interior was a scene of utter chaos.

Now, only two colors remained: crimson and black!

The deep, mesmerizing crimson of the underworld power twisted like the waist of a dancing maiden, while the black mist was as ink-dark and unmoving as the abyss. The two stood in stark contrast, acting like two ravenous monsters that devoured every single fragment of power they encountered along their path.

Within the span of a few brief breaths, all the other rampaging forces inside Jiang Feng's body had been swept clean.

Within the Sea of Consciousness, the entity known as "Jie" sat cross-legged, its originally fair and alluring face a shade paler than before. Beside it, the black clouds formed by the re-aggregated underworld spiritual soul force vanished in an instant.

The underworld spiritual soul force and the underworld power sat entrenched inside Jiang Feng's body like two ferocious beasts, glaring at each other in a standoff.

Jiang Feng's body fell quiet, and his consciousness gradually pulled back from the brink. Though his limbs remained utterly immobile, he could no longer feel the terrifying pressure of the external earth mist. Before a surviving Jiang Feng even had time to let out a sigh of relief, he discovered the two opposing forces locked in a standoff within him, nearly causing him to faint away once more.

He knew how formidable they were.

The crimson underworld power somewhat exceeded his expectations. He had never imagined that his underworld power would manifest as a brilliant red, and what alarmed him even more was that this underworld power surged like blood and ran as wild as a beast!

He also recognized the underworld spiritual soul force—a potent power that had materialized out of thin air. Once it slipped out of control, the consequences would surely be unimaginable! The relationship between these two forces was rather delicate. They were both antagonistic yet strangely familiar, leaving him perpetually unable to fully comprehend them.

Neither force concealed the slightest bit of its ferocity and might. Having cheated death, Jiang Feng once again found his heart pounding with dread.

To Jiang Feng's relief, the two sides did not engage in a direct collision. The demonic fire abruptly transformed into an extremely thin line of flame, plunging unceremoniously into the center of Jiang Feng's brow. Meanwhile, the black cloud sank downward like water poured into sand, drying up rapidly. Jiang Feng watched clearly as it permeated straight into his bones.

What on earth are these two fellows doing? Jiang Feng felt a surge of anger.

Yet before he could voice his indignation, a crushing, all-encompassing pressure squeezed inward simultaneously from all directions!

Damn it!

A soft gasp of surprise escaped Jiang Feng. Though the pressure remained insurmountable, it lacked the excruciating agony of moments before.

It seemed... somewhat tolerable...

Jiang Feng quickly realized this was no hallucination. Had his body undergone yet another transformation? The thought flashed through his mind, but before he could inspect himself, the corner of his eye caught sight of a figure wreathed in purple flames.

All of Jiang Feng's thoughts ground to a halt in a fraction of a second!

His gaze turned dazed.

Duan Xingyun was not far away, enveloped in starlight, inching toward him bit by bit. What stunned Jiang Feng was that face—that blood-drenched face. Duan Xingyun's features were entirely obscured by blood, leaving only those faintly azure pupils visible.

Watching Duan Xingyun drag himself toward him with the agonizingly slow movements of a puppet, Jiang Feng felt an inexplicable, sudden urge to call out to him.

Stop coming closer!

You'll die!

Jiang Feng stared blankly at Duan Xingyun. For the very first time, the azure starlight held no terrifying or sinister aura in his eyes. Though he understood neither the reason nor the multitude of lingering doubts, Jiang Feng suddenly understood: the man was coming to save him.

Gazing at that bloodied face and the snail-like, agonizing pace, his eyes lingered on the blood streaming down Duan Xingyun's chin, dripping into the earthy mist where it was instantly shredded into a bloody vapor and dispersed. As he watched, the anger in his heart flared up fiercely for no apparent reason!

A magical artifact, is it?!

An indescribable indignation instantly flooded Jiang Feng's chest, his eyes turning instantly crimson, with two faint tongues of flame flickering within them.

His body remained immovable, and the pressure pressed down like a tidal wave, breeding pure despair!

Jiang Feng began to channel his underworld power. The power surged into his arms, commencing a circulation cycle at an astonishing speed.

First cycle... second cycle...

Tenth cycle... eleventh cycle...

Eighteenth cycle... nineteenth cycle...

The frantically circulating underworld power showed no intention of stopping. Rage surged like a flood, and a fierce desire for destruction abruptly rose within Jiang Feng's heart!

Slowly rotating and formidable in might, the earthy mist now appeared blindingly offensive in his eyes—so detestable that he wanted nothing more than to obliterate it! From the moment he had first opened his eyes, this was the very first time he had ever felt such an intense urge to destroy a specific thing!

Twentieth cycle!

Twenty-first cycle!

The flames in Jiang Feng's pupils violently flickered, brimming with madness.

...Twenty-third cycle...

The skin on his arms split open, crisscrossed with a web of bloody lacerations.

Twenty-fourth cycle!

Snap, snap, snap!

Like glazed porcelain, his arms exploded with billowing mists of blood!

The flames in Jiang Feng's eyes danced wildly, resembling a deep, raging sea of fire.

His face was twisted into a grotesque mask, every single vein bulging, every muscle trembling, and every bone emitting a cracking groan!

"Rise!"

Jiang Feng roared through clenched teeth, mustering every ounce of his strength to desperately lift his arms!

Crack, creak, snap!

He heard his bones groaning. His eyes were bloodshot and wild with madness.

"Rise!"

Accompanied by violent tremors and sprays of bloody mist, his arms inched upward bit by bit.

Deep within Jiang Feng's eyes, the boundless sea of fire blazed with sudden fury, filling every corner of his vision! Like an enraged beast, he roared in a frenzied tear: "Fucking rise for me! Ahhhhh!"

The upward thrust of his arms suddenly accelerated, as if breaking free from the shackles of the earthy mist!

Dense, crisscrossing bloody lacerations covered his porcelain-like arms as they lifted and bent slightly backward.

Jiang Feng drew in a deep breath, his fiery red eyes opening wide. Gathering his final shred of ancient, wrathful demonic might, he hurled his fists forward with all his might.

"Go to hell, damn you!"

Two fists carved as if from colored glaze broke free from his grasp! Across the face of each fist, the solemn and majestic outline of an ancient human visage was faintly discernible.

Liu Xiayuan's expression altered drastically!

The two fist-beams plunged fiercely into the earthy mist, flew straight for ten feet, and detonated violently!

"Mystic Heaven Divine Palm!"

A muffled roar echoed like low thunder, striking heavy like a beating drum and causing hearts to tremor!

The previously slow-moving earthy mist churned violently. Liu Xiayuan and his companions let out simultaneous muffled grunts, bleeding from their noses and mouths as their faces turned ashen white! Struck as if by divine lightning, they stood rigid and motionless like wooden stakes.

The Mystic Heaven Divine Palm at the twenty-fourth cycle!

Previously, his Mystic Heaven Divine Palm had never exceeded ten or so cycles of circulation. But today, he had poured his entire reservoir of underworld power into this single underworld art!

The sky-filling earthy mist vanished instantly, and the all-pervasive, terrifying pressure disappeared along with it.

Starlight once again rained down upon Jiang Feng, while the figures not far away toppled forward like rigid wooden pillars.

Free from restraint, Duan Xingyun took a single stride and appeared by Jiang Feng's side.

Drained of every last ounce of strength, Jiang Feng's eyes grew hollow as he slumped backward. Duan Xingyun caught him in one arm.

That blood-smeared face grew increasingly blurred in Jiang Feng's vision. He futilely lifted his eyelids, parted his lips, and let out a voice no louder than a gnat's buzz:

"Brother."